A Flaw In The Clarity
by CuriouslyCheekyCheye
Summary: Fashion is an important part of everyday life, and can be heavily influenced by the world it's part of. Most people in most worlds alter their clothes to show off and express themselves. Except Sora. He'd rather keep hiding what others would put in a spotlight. Of course, it's impossible to keep secrets from Riku and Kairi. Part 2 of All That Glitters Must Be Gold.


**The exams are over, and we now have almost two months off. I am going to be doing a lot of arts and crafts, or i might lose my mind from boredom. **

**But have no worries, friends! This is only the second of a bunch of stuff I'm planning. I hope you enjoy it.**

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Traditions, cultures, fashions, politics, environments- all these and more aspects of daily life are influenced by the people and their needs.

A society that lives in a desert will value water and have laws against water wastage. They wouldn't walk around naked in the scorching sun, nor would they travel far during its peak. Thick, long clothing would cover their skin and far travels were best left for the cool night.

Society is also influenced by peoples' wants. Jewellery and spices, exotic colors and beautiful homes. The rich would wear gold and jewels, and the finest fabrics. The poor would work to bring themselves up in the world and possess the same.

Destiny Islands has its own social rules and common practices, many of them centered on the residents' gems.

It used to be that people with more precious gems were treated better than those with common or imperfect gems. They would get better job opportunities, better homes, and undue praise for doing basically nothing. They would order others around as though they were royalty, and people would run to obey.

These ideals fell out of practice decades ago, but some still hang onto them like fools. Mayor Geno fights against them and works hard to bring and maintain a balanced society that treats everyone fairly.

Fashion, on the other hand, had no problem changing, and the boring clothes that only used to be different shades of the colour of a person's gem quickly became ways for them to express themselves in new and interesting ways.

Another thing that changed is gem etiquette. Before it was mandatory to change your clothes to show them. Most people still do it (because who doesn't love showing off?), but now you won't be dragged into the street and have your clothes ripped off if you cover it.

Riku's non-existent sleeved did nothing to hide his Chrysocolla gem, Tidus doesn't even bother to wear a shirt most days, and everyone else had their clothes altered in some way.

Except for Sora. He kept his gem securely under his shirt and far from view. Sure others could see the octagon-shaped outline when the shirt pulled tight, but they couldn't actually see it.

Sora would rather keep it that way. Of course, he can't hide something like that from Riku and Kairi forever.

* * *

"Sora, duck!"

Sora, the lovable potato that he is, instead turns to her when Kairi calls out and gets a face full of mud for his troubles. He falls onto his butt and splutters, trying to wipe it off.

Riku bursts out laughing next to him.

"Shut it, Riku!" Sora gripes, getting back to his feet.

Riku stumbles, he's laughing so hard. "You- hahaha – moron! She said duck!" His arms wrap around his waist, and he's helpless to stop Sora from wiping his muddy hand over the other's face and neck. "Hey!"

"There," Sora puts his hands on his hips and sticks his tongue out. "Now you can't make fun of me." He seems very proud for someone who just issued a challenge with the strongest boy on the Island.

Riku retaliates by scooping up a handful of the dirt under him, wet from the previous night's storm, and lobs it at Sora full-speed. Sora doesn't dodge fast enough and it splatters all over him and his clothes.

With their focus solely on each other, they fail to notice Kairi gathering two huge balls of mud and throwing it at them. One hits Sora full-on in the chest and the other gets Riku's legs. Both cry out in surprise, before turning to meet Kairi's mischievous smile.

She starts running. "You can't get me!" The boys arm themselves with mud before they take off after her.

"Get back here, Kairi!" Sora hollers, aiming for her back, but getting her skirt. "Don't think you're getting away with this!"

"Yeah, you can't run for long!" Riku agrees. Kairi knows it's true, but it sure doesn't mean she's stopping! His aim is better, and he actually hits the back of her head.

"No!" Kairi chortles. She stumbles around a bend on the road. That's all the boys need to catch up.

Now there's one thing they never seem to remember. Riku is strong enough to bowl them all over, and Sora's flexibility lets him squirm away from both trouble and being crushed under the older boy's weight, but Kairi has determination and a rock climber's grip on her side.

Sora's escape means she only needs to worry about Riku, so she grabs his forearms and rolls them over. She then scoops her hands into the dirt and oh-so-nicely smears it into Riku's pretty silver hair.

Not so pretty anymore.

She giggles as he yells at her. Then Sora sneaks up behind her and gives her the same treatment.

"Surprise!" He laughs and adds himself to their muddy-puppy pile. With him laying across her back and the two of them weighing down like stones on Riku, it's no surprise when he starts clawing at the ground.

"I can't breathe- get off!" They tumble off gracelessly and lie on either side of him, breathless from laughing and staring at the sky. It's grey with leftover clouds. Riku joins them.

The three children eventually continue on to Sora's house for their weekly sleepover. His mom makes them stand in front of the hose before she lets them into the house, and even then tells them to go take baths as soon as possible.

Kairi and Riku figure she would bath first, then the boys would go together, and then they'd play video games.

Kairi comes out wearing an adorable sleep dress with kittens on it and tells them to pause their game and clean up. But as soon as Riku starts pulling Sora to the bathroom, Sora starts pulling back.

"No, it's okay. You can go first." Sora says, rubbing the back of his head and dislodging dried mud from his hair. "We can't just leave Kairi alone, right?" He smiles at her.

Riku would think Sora just wants to spend as much time as possible with his crush, except he's known him since they were babies, and he knows that face. Sora's hiding something.

"Don't worry, I'll just be working on my Wayfinders. Besides, if you bath at the same time, we can all play together sooner." Kairi says. Kairi's smart, and Riku wonders if she sees the same thing he does.

Sora shakes his head and shoves Riku out the door. "No, really!" He insists. "You go ahead and clean up, and I'll make sure Kairi doesn't mess with our scores." He makes a very convincing argument because Kairi would do that. Probably reset the whole game while she's at it too.

Sora wins this round, but Riku lets it go. Sure they bathed together when they were younger, but maybe Sora thinks he's too old for it now.

Which is dumb, 'cause he's the youngest between the three of them ("By like a month!" protests the echo of a memory.), and Sora doesn't have anything to hide, like an embarrassing scar. Riku's mom said you only get a scar if your body is hurt while your gem is. That's never happened to either of them, so…

Nah, it's probably nothing. Sora's just being a weirdo.

* * *

The three of them are on the play Island again, this time with Selphie, Tidus and Wakka. Sora and Riku quickly initiate one of their races, leaving Kairi to either follow or eat their dust.

Selphie stops her with a hand on her arm and a bright grin before she can catch up.

"Hold up a sec!" She says just as Kairi is about to question her. She instead tilts her head at the girl and stares at her.

"What's up? You need something?" Kairi hopes it isn't anything important. If she doesn't supervise the boys, they might start a rock-eating contest or something. No, wait, they're not _that_ dumb.

They'll just make each other eat plants that may or may not be poisonous. Much easier to swallow.

…

Is Selphie going to say what she wants before Riku and Sora kill each other?

"So!" Selphie swings her arms. "I've been thinking."

"Okay?"

"We need to do some girl talk!" Selphie says passionately, nodding with a satisfied smile.

Kairi continues staring. "Girl talk?" She echoes.

"You know! Clothes!"

"…Is there something wrong with my clothes?"

Selphie huffs. "You've been spending too much time with the boys. None of them gets fashion either!" She glares over to her Tidus and Wakka, who are playing their made-up game. Kairi can kind of see where she's coming from, but she's still confused. Selphie reads her expression perfectly and explains.

"They don't care about it at all, they just wanna roll on the beach and whack each other with sticks. I need to do something girly before I turn into a boy too!" She throws her hands up in frustration. Kairi isn't sure it works like that.

"Clothes are cool," Kairi soothes, "I just don't get the big deal. Why wear something really pretty if you're gonna get it dirty?"

"There are lots of reasons." Selphie says, "Like to look pretty, or to make your eyes stand out, and _definitely_ to show off your gem." She points to her belly, where her dress is cut and stitched into a diamond around her yellow Citrine. It's near blinding when the sun hits, but in the shade, it's really beautiful. Selphie never hides how proud she is of its clarity and colour.

Selphie hesitates, "Wait, you don't have a gem, do you? Sorry, I didn't-"

"It's not a big deal." Kairi cuts in. She is _not_ having a pity party right now.

Selphie continues awkwardly, but no less enthusiastic.

"So anyway. Everyone has clothes that show off their gems, and I think it's really cool and some outfits make them look so pretty- but these two don't wanna hear about it. Just look at them!"

Tidus spins around, kicking up sand. "You always go on about it! The Islands are hot and my clothes aren't, what's the problem?"

"_You never wear a shirt!_"

The two start arguing and Wakka, standing forgotten on the sidelines, can only put his forehead on his palm.

Kairi takes her leave while she still can.

She finds the boys by the haphazardly built bridge that she's sure will collapse any day now. Riku sits with his legs over the edge while Sora drags himself out of the water, laughing and pointing. Kairi shakes her head.

"He always forgets about that one board you rigged." She sighs.

"No, he just can't jump fast enough to miss it. Which means I win."

"I'll beat you someday, Riku! Just you wait!"

Riku just keeps on laughing. Kairi crouches down next to him and calls to Sora, "You need some help down there?"

"I got it!" Sora calls back, digging his hands into the rock and starting to climb his way up to them.

The light catches Riku's arm and draws her attention to his gem. It looks like the moss that grows in the waterfall on pay island. All greens and blues flowing and blossoming. His eyes look like that too in some lights.

All the talk of clothes and gems sends Kairi down a train of thought, and the final station is Sora.

She pokes Riku, who started teasing Sora when his hand slipped and he splattered back into the water.

"Mhh?" He turns to her.

"What gem does Sora have?" Kairi asks curiously. She's seen everyone else's or at least heard what type they have. But she hasn't heard anything about or from her brunette friend.

Riku raises an eyebrow. "He hasn't shown you?" He asks, looking down to their potato, who's finally starting to make some headway towards them. "You'll have to ask him about it. His is really pretty."

"What are you two talking about?" Sora is now near enough for Kairi and Riku to grab his hands and pull him the rest of the way. "You haven't shown her your gem yet." Riku points out.

He grabs their hands and pulls them to sit by the wooden tower. Kairi had doubts about how stable this one is too. Most of the constructs on the Play Islands make her nervous, in fact.

"Oh, um-" Sora blushes and starts rubbing his neck. "It's nothing special. You don't wanna see it."

"Nothing special? Sora, it's a diamond." Riku scoffs. Kairi's eyes widen, and Sora hunches over.

"A diamond? Really?"

"It's really nothing," Sora says, and looks away from Riku's suddenly questioning looks. "It's just a blue diamond. Not anything better than what everyone else has."

That's true, but Kairi is still curious. Riku seems to be too, for a different reason than hers.

"No ways. I've seen it, and yours is definitely the prettiest." Riku says. Now Kairi _needs_ to see.

"Can I see it? Please?" She asks, leaning closer. Sora's really starting to look nervous.

"It's not that cool. Why don't we go play with the others instead? C'mon." Riku grabs Sora arm just as he tries to bolt.

He looks concerned now. "Sora, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just-" Sora stops, scrambling for an explanation.

Kairi quickly takes over. "It's okay if you don't want to show it. I'm just curious."

Sora stops, and his eyes sweep over both of them. He chews his lips as e battles with himself. Then he takes a deep breath.

"I'll show you, but you can't make fun of me." He says quickly. Kairi and Riku glance at each other. What?

Riku gets a question out first. "Is someone bullying you?" He asks hotly, glaring as though the offender will jump out from a bush. Sora waves his hands. "No, no, it's not like that. It's- my gem isn't…" He pauses and stands up. "I'll show you. Follow me."

He starts climbing up the wall, almost like he's trying to run away, and Riku and Kairi scramble to follow him.

If he had flat out refused instead of trying to dance around the subject, they would have dropped it. But he didn't, and now they have a chance to know why Sora seems so reluctant to reveal his gem. They aren't wasting it.

Sora leads them past Wakka, Selphie and Tidus and into the dark tunnel that leads to the secret place.

The round stones pile on top of each other, held in place by the huge tree's roots, and form a room bigger than one would expect. Streams of light sneak in between the grass and wood from above and illuminate the wooden door that's been there long before anyone stepped foot on the island.

Everyone is curious what's behind it, yet no one has been able to open it. There is no doorknob to turn, no hinges for it to turn on, and no rock or axe can break through it. Most declare it a lost cause and assume there's just more rock behind it. It's just become a test of strength for children at this point.

Not Riku. He is _adamant_ that there is something beyond that door, some kind of tunnel or portal or _something_ that leads to a bigger world. A passage to things they can't dream of. Something better than these small islands. And Kairi's sudden appearance and difference from everyone else only cemented these hopes in him.

Kairi may not remember anything about her past, and the only thing to suggest she comes from a different world and not just from a shipwreck is her lack of gem, but he _knows_ there is something more out there. In his heart and soul, _he_ _knows_.

Sora sits down where a huge root stands like a pillar against the wall. They join him.

"So?" Riku asks, and Kairi glares at him. No subtly or sensitivity to be found here. "What the big problem?"

Despite his not so graceful way of asking, Kairi can see he's worried. She is too. Sora fidgets and looks at them.

"My gem isn't… like it's supposed to be. It's weird and no one can figure out why it's like this." Sora says.

Riku's eyebrows scrunch together, and he says, "Sora, I've seen your gem. There was nothing wrong with it." He sounds confused and frustrated.

Kairi feels the same. "Please, show us. We won't be mean about, and maybe you'll feel better if you do. I'll even give you my cookies when we get home." She's trying not to feel impatient, but Sora's just working himself u at this point.

Finally, he starts lifting his shirt. It's halting at first, but then he rips it off completely, and the two can see what he's so nervous about.

Embedded right between his lower ribs, about 5cm across, is his gem. It's beautiful, there's no doubt about that. It glimmers sky blue, matching his eyes perfectly, and the light that catches on its facets reveals an entire range of shades.

It also reveals the two other gems held within his diamond, deeper than where the edge of his gem protrudes from his skin. Small things that can't be seen clearly, but there nonetheless.

The foremost one is round and smooth- like Riku's gem- and an airy blue. It might be white, but it's hard to tell through the blue of Sora's diamond. The other one is a little behind the first one, almost trying to hide in the gem's shadow. It's faceted, thinner and longer, and definitely either black or so dark it's almost black.

Sora is quiet while they look at it, and looks nervous. Maybe Kairi can make lighten the mood.

"It's not that bad," Kairi says, fascinated. Gems can_ do_ that? "They look pretty too, so you don't have to worry." The round one is actually nicer than the one that has a point that looks super sharp, but meh. Still really cool to see. Sora hunches over, face red, and his hand is over his gem in a second.

Riku looks at her like she said something wrong. How was she supposed to know that wouldn't help? It's probably another one of those 'you don't have a gem so you wouldn't get it' things.

"How long has it been like that?" He asks, gently trying to lift Sora's hand to get another look.

Sora complies. "Almost a year. They haven't gotten any bigger, but they haven't gone away." He starts tearing up. "Mom and Dad don't know what wrong, and the doctors we've been to don't either. They think it's a- a defect!" He bites his lip and starts sniffing. Kairi doesn't understand what's wrong. She hugs his side and looks to Riku for answers.

He pulls Sora's head under his chin. He looks angry, but he still explains, "His mom is a tourmaline, and his dad is a jasper. Normally you'd be born with either of your parents' gems or a mixture of the two, but Sora is a diamond. It's almost impossible to be something your parents aren't." He pulls Sora back a little, and Kairi huddles closer to him.

"Listen here," He says, looking Sora in the eyes. "You are not a defect, there's nothing wrong with you. Your gem I just more special than we thought, and that's okay. We still love you as you are."

"Yeah, you don't have to hide from us." Kairi chirps in. "We love you no matter what!"

Sora laughs wetly as the two smother him in affection and reassurances.

He'd been so worried they wouldn't want to be friends with him anymore. He knows they would never do that to him, but since one doctor said that to him he couldn't help it. It echoed in his even after his parents took him away from the office and told him they weren't going there anymore.

If your gem is broken, then your broken too. Scratches on the surface hurt, but a crack can mess you up mentally and physically. If your gem breaks, then you're dead. Gems are growing in his, but he isn't acting any different. Obviously, there's something wrong with him. He must be _defective_.

But he's not. And he doesn't want others thinking that. It's why he never shows his gem to anyone.

Anyone except his best friends, because they would never hurt him like that.

He's doesn't know how or why this happened. Only when it began. It was like an itch, and his larger than average gem felt heavier. Since that night with Riku, not long before Kairi appeared, when he felt in heart someone crying out for help…

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**I was looking through my headcanons and thought, "Yeah, Sora is diffidently a diamond." Why? Well, you can already see it in this chapter, and you need to have some Steven Universe knowledge, but it'll become very clear in future chapter for those who don't get it yet. **

**Please leave a comment! You don't understand how much I love hearing from you all!**

**Until next time!**


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